The degree is granted once all 17 General Institute Requirements (GIRs) and all departmental requirements have been met.

All architecture majors, regardless of degree or discipline stream, are required to take the following core subjects. All six should be completed by the end of sophomore year:

• 4.021 or 4.02A, Introduction to Architecture Design, (HASS-A, 12 or 9 units respectively) — 4.02A is an IAP intensive studio
• 4.022, Architecture Design Foundations, (12 units)
• 4.302, Foundations in Art, Design and Spatial Practices, (CI-M, 12 units)
• 4.401, Environmental Technologies in Buildings, (12 units)
• 4.500, Introduction to Geometric Modeling, (12 units)
• 4.605, A Global History of Architecture, (HASS-A, 12 units)

Course 4-B is designed for students who are intellectually committed to subjects within the Department of Architecture but have educational objectives that cross departmental boundaries. With the approval of the department, a student may plan a course of study that meets his or her individual needs. The resulting program must incorporate fundamental areas within the department.

As early as possible, students should discuss their interests and intended programs with their advisors and departmental faculty members. A student who wishes to follow Course 4-B must first register as a Course 4 major.

By the end of sophomore year, the student is expected to submit to the department a proposal that includes:

• a statement of educational goals
• a list of subjects to be taken to fulfill these goals (84 units)
• a timetable listing when the subjects will be taken

Once the Department of Architecture Undergraduate Curriculum Committee has approved the proposal, the student may officially switch to the 4-B major.

All 4-B majors are required to do a senior thesis and must take 4.THT, Thesis Research Design Seminar, the fall prior to submitting the thesis.

MIT's Communication Requirement is designed to ensure that all undergraduates learn to write and speak effectively. All undergraduates receive substantial instruction and practice in general expository writing and speaking as well as in the forms of discourse common to their professional fields.

MIT undergraduates must complete two Communication Intensive subjects in the humanities, arts and social sciences (CI-H) and two Communication Intensive subjects in their major (CI-M). By the end of freshman year, students should have completed one CI-H subject. The second must be taken prior to graduation. A current list of available CI-H subjects can be found on the MIT Undergraduate Communication Requirement website.

The following subjects fulfill the CI-M requirement for Course 4 majors:

• 4.023, Architecture Design Studio I (fall term)
• 4.302, Foundations in Art, Design and Spatial Practices (spring term)
• 4.THT, Thesis Research Design Seminar (fall term)
• 4.302 is normally completed by the end of the junior year. 4.023 is taken in the junior or senior year.
• 4.THT is taken in the senior year by students choosing to do a research thesis

The HASS Concentration is an integral part of the General Institute Requirements. The Department of Architecture offers two HASS concentrations.

– History of Architecture, Art, and Design
– Art, Culture and Technology

In consultation with the Concentration Advisor, students develop a program of four related subjects to promote increased knowledge in that particular field.

The senior thesis is intended for students who wish to culminate their education with a challenge that would demand advanced work and reward them with portfolio material and developed viewpoints on a topic of importance. It is required for all of the discipline streams except for Architecture Design, where it is optional and can be used to fulfill 12 units of unrestricted elective requirements.

The nature of the work may be an original research or design project that involves additional learning of a substantive nature. The work must be documented with a written thesis, completed to institute specifications, within the final term of the senior year.

Thesis preparation subjects are taken the fall prior to registering for thesis and will assist students in preparing a thesis proposal and choosing a supervisor.

• 4.119, Preparation for Undergraduate Architecture Design Thesis, a 12-unit class, is for Architecture Design stream students
• 4.THTJ, Thesis Research Design Seminar, a 12-unit, CI-M class is required of students in the Course 4 Building Technology; Design & Computation; History of Architecture, Art & Design; or Art, Culture and Technology stream and the Course 4B major. (Only students in the class of 2017 are eligible to declare a specific discipline stream.) 4.THTJ is joint with DUSP 11.THTJ.
• The supervisor may be a faculty member, lecturer, visiting faculty, or research scientist from within Course 4 (preferred), or from another department within MIT. If chosen from a department other than Architecture, a faculty member within Course 4 willing to work in conjunction with the supervisor will need to be added to the proposal as a reader. Normally, readers are not required, unless your thesis advisor requests one.

After the thesis proposal is approved and before registration for thesis, students must complete the Thesis Proposal Form and attach a thesis proposal, which includes a timetable for completion. The form must be signed by the thesis supervisor. If she/he is not a member of the Department, the proposal must also be signed by the Course 4 faculty reader. Submit the completed form to Renée Caso in Architecture Headquarters, room 7-337, by the completion of the fall term in which 4.119 or 4.THT is taken. Students who submit the completed form on time may register for 12 units of 4.THU. Students may not register for thesis after Add Date.

Upon satisfactory completion of the thesis, the supervisor will assign a grade. The grade will not be submitted to the Registrar until a copy of the final signed thesis document is submitted to Renée Caso in Headquarters by the published thesis deadline. Thesis presentations will be scheduled at the end of the spring term in coordination with graduate thesis presentations.

Thesis Guidelines and Deadlines

• The Department must receive one copy of the thesis in accordance with the Specifications for Thesis Preparation published by the MIT Libraries Institute Archives to assist students in the preparation of the thesis document.
• The Department upholds the requirements of the Institute specifications. In addition, the Department of Architecture requires that each thesis contain a page listing the names and titles of the thesis advisor and any readers. This page is to be inserted between the title page and the abstract. (If you only have a thesis advisor, there is no need for this page.) Students should review the thesis checklist before submitting the thesis to the department degree administrator. The "Accepted by" signature on the title page should be J. John Ochsendorf, Director of the Undergraduate Architecture Program.
• The deadline for submitting the approved, archival copies of the thesis is set by the Department and is just prior to the Institute's deadline for the last day to go off of the Degree List noted in the Academic Calendar. Only minor corrections in formatting and proofing will be accepted after this date and only at the discretion of the department undergraduate administrator.
• All theses are submitted to the Course 4 Undergraduate Administrator, Renée Caso

The Undergraduate Program provides both a deep and broad education in the field of architecture within the context of a leading school of science and technology. Situated in MIT's rich and intense educational environment, the program emphasizes the interconnected relationship between architectural design; building technology; computation; history, theory, and criticism; and art. The Department's extensive offerings reflect the program's commitment to the cultural, social, political, technological and ecological issues of the built environment. Committed to a rigorous and interdisciplinary approach throughout the program, our students are challenged to be creative, innovative, and responsible leaders in the field.

Freshman Pre-Orientation Program (FPOP)

A Freshman Pre-Orientation Program (FPOP) is offered in August as a way for incoming freshman to get a sneak preview of MIT's Department of Architecture and sister department Urban Studies and Planning.

The program provides a brief overview of both majors, combined with a four-day whirlwind tour of Boston from the inside out. Students actively engage with the places visited by asking questions about how the buildings and neighborhoods were made or changed over time, how they are used by residents and visitors, and how they interact with other features of the city around them. There is a lot of walking, a lot of sampling local cuisine and some kayaking on the Charles River. On the final day of the program, students apply what was learned “in the field” through a hands-on project — building an inhabitable shelter on the MIT lawn, using cardboard, duct tape, assistance from current majors, and a lot of creativity.

FPOP program information can be found on the Undergraduate Advising and Academic Programming website. To apply to the program fill out the online form.

Freshman Seminars

Registration for Freshman Seminars is different from other subjects. Students register through the MIT First Year website. 

• 4.A06, Art, Engineering and Architecture, taught by John Ochsendorf  —
 This seminar explores the intersections of art, technology and design. We will take field trips to 4 or 5 local museums to engage with art firsthand. In the process, you will get to know some of the most important museums in the world and you will gain exposure to the broader cultural delights of the Boston area. Possible field trips include the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the deCordova Museum, the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA), and the art museums of MIT and Harvard. Simultaneously, we will have casual conversations around the broad topics of art, engineering, and architecture. You will choose one work of art in the Boston area to investigate more fully and to share with your classmates. By doing so, we will explore together and learn from each other. 
 


John Ochsendorf is the Class of 1942 Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Architecture. Trained as an engineer and archaeologist, his work explores the intersections of numerous fields, including civil engineering and architecture; art and design; history and technology. He has lived and studied in Australia, Spain, England, and Italy and is an avid soccer fan. John lives on campus with his family in a graduate residence, and loves the broad diversity of the MIT community.


• 4.A07, Experiencing Architecture: Process, Production and Product, taught by Larry Sass — By great fortune Boston has emerged to become one of the world’s best places to live. Since the 1960’s Boston based architects and urban planners have pioneered many systems of design, planning and construction that have led to its unique style of buildings and dynamic environments. This seminar aims to make sense of design, architecture and the built environment through real world experience, some reading and discussion. We will use the city as our platform for learning design. We start with a delightful visit to the Gropius House in Concord, MA where we will learn some fundamentals of home design. Next, we will tour a construction site in Boston to witness first hand how a building is fabricated from an architect’s plan. We will take a trip downtown to explore some of Boston’s architectural past with a walking tour of City Hall and several surrounding buildings. Last, we will visit an architect’s office to witness first hand how buildings are designed and prepared for construction. 

Prof. Sass directs the Design Fabrication research group and teaches courses in architecture, design and computation within the Department of Architecture. His research work has lead to the development of a new technology used to produce low cost housing in ways similar to 3D printing. He believes that in the near future homes and cities will be produced from an assembly of high-tech performance based 3D components. A highlight of Larry’s research in this area was a commissioned exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in 2008.


• 4.A08, Environments at MIT: Climate Change, Cities, Resources and the Coming Decarbonized Age, taught by John Fernandez — Global society finds itself at a technological and societal inflection point. We now face challenges of a +400 ppm carbon-loaded atmosphere and the specter of known and unknown environmental transformations. We are also witnessing the possibility of new global resolve on two prominent fronts:  reducing carbon emissions with the COP 21 agreement crafted in Paris, and addressing critical environmental concerns and development priorities with the adoption of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
 


This freshman seminar will introduce the rich landscape of environmental work at MIT; from climate science and earth systems research, to the relationship between bio- and geo-physical systems, to engineering and design for mitigating carbon emission and adapting to climate change, to energy, carbon storage, novel batteries, innovative transportation and other topics. Short talks and discussions will be given by a Nobel Laureate, a National Medal of Science winner, key people involved in the latest climate agreement in Paris and leading engineers, designers, planners, policymakers, philosophers, historians, and others at MIT. 

The seminar will be coordinated alongside the activities of MIT’s main environmental effort, the Environmental Solutions Initiative (ESI). Prof. Fernandez is the Director of this Institute-wide initiative. Also, students will be invited to attend meetings of the Undergraduate Sustainability Committee and other energy and environment groups on campus. 

Recommended Course 4 Subjects for Freshman

• 4.100, Architecture Workshop: Fabricating Function — Through drawing, modeling, and fabricating full-scale functional objects, students experience the traditional architectural sequence of schematic design, design development, presentation drawings, fabrication drawings, fabrication, use and analysis. Explores the parallel histories of architecture and furniture and functional object design. Emphasizes the evolution of the thought process and techniques used for the design and construction of buildings, and the design and fabrication of furniture or functional objects within buildings. Taught during the January term, Independent Activity Period.
• 4.101, Design Studio: Introduction to Design Techniques and Technologies — Introduces core principles, techniques and technologies for design across a wide range of media in a studio environment.Provides a dynamic laboratory to explore ideas related to form, materials, tools, systems, and structures through project-based exercises. Teaches skills in design process, critical observation, and tools for the translation of design concepts into digital and physical constructs. Utilizing traditional and contemporary tools, the subject is taught by faculty across various design disciplines in order to expose students to a unique cross-section of design inquiry.
• 4.110J, Design Across Scales and Disciplines  — This joint subject with Media Arts and Sciences explores the reciprocal relationships between design, science, and technology. It covers a wide range of topics, such as industrial design, architecture, visualization/perception, design computation, material ecology, environmental design and environmental sustainability. Students examine how transformations in science and technology have influenced design thinking and vice versa, and develop methodologies for design research by collaboration on design solutions to interdisciplinary problems. It satisfies the HASS/Art requirement.
• 4.021, Introduction to Architecture Design — This studio class is for students who are intending to major in architecture, or students who want to get a taste of what architecture is about. It is the first in a series of required architecture design studios, and combines hands-on with design theory. The class meets twice a week for three hours each session and students will receive HASS/Art credit. 
• 4.02A, Introduction to Architecture Design Intensive — This studio covers the same material as 4.021, but it is condensed into a 3.5 week subject during the January term, Independent Activity Period. 
• 4.022, Architecture Design Foundations — This studio class is for students who are intending to major in architecture, or students who want to get a taste of what architecture is about. It is the second in a series of required architecture design studios, providing instruction in architectural design and project development within design constraints including architectural program and site.
• 4.605, A Gobal History of Architecture — This popular introductory class is a survey on the history of architecture and urbanism from Ancient Egypt to the present. It will satisfy the HASS/Art requirement, and provides a solid background for other classes in architecture history. It is offered in the spring and is one of the required classes for the major.

A list of current Department of Architecture subject offerings can be found on our Subjects site.